Better Than Magic
by Shasta627
Summary: Cisco Ramon marched into the Great Hall filled with courage and resolve, barely taking a seat at the Gryffindor table before boldly declaring, "I'm going to ask her out." Across from him, Barry Allen looked up. "Really? You're sure this time?" He didn't even need to ask who the girl in question was. [Harry Potter AU. Killervibe]


_**Written for Killervibe Week on tumblr, "Day 7 - AU." Enjoy :)**_

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Cisco Ramon marched into the Great Hall filled with courage and resolve, barely taking a seat at the Gryffindor table before boldly declaring, "I'm going to ask her out."

Across from him, Barry Allen looked up from his plate of scrambled eggs with toast and raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're sure this time?" He didn't even need to ask who the girl in question was.

"She only has two months left until she finishes her seventh year; there's no backing out this time."

"Just because she's leaving Hogwarts doesn't mean she's going to forget about you. I know I certainly won't," Barry pointed out.

Cisco sighed at his friend's unintentional reminder. Most of his closest friends were seventh years, and the thought of them leaving always dampened his normally cheerful mood. "But what will I do next year, when all you guys abandon me?" he asked morosely, already hating the thought.

"Not everyone's leaving!" protested Barry around a mouthful of egg. "Linda, Jesse, and Wally are a year younger than you - they'll still be here too!"

Cisco sighed again. "But Jesse and Linda are in Slytherin and Wally's in Hufflepuff, and they're a year younger, like you said. I won't see them as much."

"Caitlin's in Ravenclaw and a year older, yet you see her all the time. You've just got to make the effort." Barry took a sip of pumpkin juice and went back to eating his breakfast, seeming to be content with his response.

Disgruntled at his lack of sympathy, Cisco turned around to watch the steady stream of students entering the hall, and it was at that moment that he saw her.

 _Caitlin Snow_.

To Cisco, she was the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts. Her long, silky caramel hair, round brown eyes, and tall slender figure had captured the attention of many, but it was her kind words, wise mind, and loving smile that truly captured his heart. He had officially met Caitlin when he was a third year in Ancient Runes class. It wasn't an elective he was particularly interested in, but he ended up taking it anyway after Hartley Rathaway, a Slytherin third year at the time, declared he would never take a 'boring, useless class like that.' Cisco was by no means a fan of Hartley, so he was the first to sign up.

Looking back now, Cisco regarded it as one of the best decisions he had ever made. Not only did he learn a lot about ancient runes (which were actually pretty interesting), but he also became best friends with the Ravenclaw girl who sat beside him - Caitlin. Cisco remembered their first meeting clearly in his mind, and after talking the two quickly realized they had lots in common, and began spending more time together outside of school. It was through his friendship with Caitlin that he came to know Barry, Iris, Linda, Wally, Jesse, and lots of other people. So when he really thought about, it was all thanks to Hartley that he had made so many good friends.

"Hey, Cait!" Barry's sudden shout brought Cisco out of his reverie. Caitlin looked over at the source of the noise, saw them, and smiled. Cisco felt his stomach flip when she crossed the hall and sat down on the bench right beside him.

"Hi guys. What's -"

"Cisco wanted to ask you something," Barry interrupted casually, giving Cisco a pointed look.

Cisco nearly choked as Caitlin turned to him expectantly. "I - uh, was -uh, going to, uh..." He swallowed. "Can you help me on Transfiguration homework?"

Caitlin frowned. "I thought that was your best subject. You're probably a lot better at it than me, to be honest..."

Out if the corner of his eye, Cisco could see Barry smirking. _You're never going to live to see graduation day because of this_ , Cisco thought viciously, and then remembered that Caitlin was still awaiting an answer to her comment.

"Well, it _is_ my best subject, and I, uh, want to keep it that way, so I was wondering if you could read over my essay and, uh, make sure it sounds...right," he rambled, hoping it sounded convincing.

Caitlin narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and Cisco had to force himself not to nervously gulp. There was a reason she was a Ravenclaw Prefect and Head Girl; she was smart, and no one could keep secrets from her.

Thankfully, before she could interrogate him, Iris plopped down in the seat beside Barry, waving an opened letter in her hand. "Dad just sent a post," she informed them. "He and some of the other Aurors finally found that dark wizard guy who calls himself Savitar. He's being put on trial tomorrow."

This took Caitlin's attention away from Cisco, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Savitar?" she asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "The wizard who's obsessed with time-turners and was trying to make himself some sort of god?"

Iris nodded, and they spent the rest of breakfast discussing Aurors and dark wizards. When the large bells rang from the clock tower signaling the end of breakfast, all the kids gathered their bags and headed off to their classes. Caitlin waved at Cisco as she headed off towards Herbology with the rest of the seventh years, and he gave her a smile as he headed to the dungeons for Potions.

As he walked, he knew he had to come up with a plan. He needed the perfect spot, time, and occasion to ask her out, and he had to do it soon, before Barry slipped up and she found out. Should he do it by the Great Lake? In the astronomy tower? The quidditch pitch? The forbidden forest? He scratched that last idea, but kept the rest of his options open.

By the time all the morning classes were over and lunch had rolled around, Cisco had so many crazy, half-cooked plans and ideas spinning through his mind that his head hurt. Some people would probably say he was taking all this too seriously, or being too dramatic, but it was _Caitlin_. She deserved the best.

As though summoning her in his thoughts, she suddenly appeared from around the corner. "Cisco!" She smiled. "I was just coming from Charms. Want to go get lunch?"

Cisco nodded and together they got some food from the Great Hall, taking their plates outside to enjoy the warm spring weather. They walked along the Great Lake, talking about different classes, complaining about professors, and laughing about stories heard from other classmates, all the while enjoying their time spent together. As they walked, Cisco couldn't help but feel at home. This was how it was supposed to be. Him, Caitlin, Hogwarts - he was going to miss it a lot over the summer, and specifically her next year.

All too soon their lunch break ended, and they had to depart to their other classes.

For the next few weeks, Cisco's daily routine was more or less the same. Wake up, go to class, do homework, spend as much time as possible with Caitlin, and try to come up with the perfect place to ask her out. He was pretty certain she would say 'yes;' Iris had told him once that Caitlin mentioned she thought him attractive, which practically made him giddy for weeks afterwards. Plus her behavior towards him was different, more relaxed and intimate. He never saw her give hugs to anyone else everyday, or hold other people's hands on occasion. He just needed the perfect place and time to do it!

It wasn't until a week before finals that Cisco finally discovered the perfect set up. He had been walking down one of the corridors, taking a shortcut back to the Gryffindor common room when a door suddenly appeared on the wall beside him. At once, he knew he must've found the Room of Requirement. He had heard about its existence, but no one remembered where the entrance was, save for the Slytherin seventh year, Julian Albert, who claimed to have found it but wouldn't reveal it's location.

As he approached the opening, the door swung open and revealed a beautiful library full of books and flowers, light music wafting through the air, adding a peaceful feel to the room. Caitlin would love a room like this. It was perfect.

After scouring the area once more, marveling at the idealness of it all, Cisco hurried back to the common room to begin making his plan. He had the place, now just the rest of the details...

By the time he, Barry, and Iris left the tower to head down to dinner, he was confident that he had figured it all out. On the upcoming Saturday, he was going to ask Caitlin to take a walk with him that afternoon so he could show her a surprise. Surprises always intrigued her, so he knew she would agree and go with him. Then he would lead her to the Room of Requirement and show her the inside, which would be filled with books and antiques and all the things she loved. Caitlin would be thrilled, and while she was so distracted by her surroundings he would take one of the bouquets of flowers nearby and give them to her, and then tell her how much she meant to him and how he wanted to take her on a date. Hopefully, she would be overjoyed and say yes, and maybe even kiss him, if he was lucky.

Just thinking of his plan put a smile on his face, and it took all of his self control not to start spontaneously grinning during dinner.

The days after that seemed to roll by agonizingly slow, but soon enough it was the Friday before the 'big day,' and Cisco was starting to become nervous. Thoughts such as, 'What if she thinks it's too cheesy,' 'What if something goes wrong,' and most prominently, 'What if she says no' ran through his head, and he had to remind himself to breathe several times throughout the day.

He was so nervous that when he was walking down the corridor to go have lunch, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Caitlin appeared in front of him.

"Hey th - woah, are you okay?" Caitlin put a hand on his shoulder. "You look like you've seen a dementor or something."

 _Breathe, just breathe,_ Cisco told himself, and forced a smile. "No I'm fine. I just...had a _really_ intense Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Yeah."

Caitlin narrowed her eyes suspiciously again, but didn't say anything.

"Want to get some lunch?" Cisco asked. Maybe food would help him relax. To his surprise though, Caitlin shook her head and looked down at her feet, almost...shyly?

"Actually...do you want to take a walk? I need to ask you something."

Cisco could feel his heart pounding in every bone of his body. Did she find out about his plan? She couldn't have, since he hadn't even told Barry! Did he do something wrong? Possibilities ran through his head, each one more ludicrous than the next. Finally Cisco had enough, and said, "Cait, please just tell me. I can't handle the stress anymore."

Caitlin cocked her head to the side and frowned at him. "Are you sure you're okay? You look a little pale."

"Just say what you need to say and I'll be fine."

He hoped.

Caitlin nodded, and suddenly _she_ was the one who looked nervous. "Well, you know I'm going to be leaving soon, and it's not really a secret that we hang out all the time, so...y'know, I was just going to ask - because I'm pretty sure we feel the same way - but I was wondering if..." she cleared her throat and looked him in the eye. "Do you want to go out with me?"

If Cisco could've unhinged his jaw it would've fallen all the way to the ground. Caitlin Snow had just asked him out. _Caitlin Snow!_

"Cisco?" her small voice called him back to the present. "Can you answer please? The silence is killing me."

By some miracle, Cisco found his voice. " _YES_!" he practically screamed, and then realization dawned on him, and he groaned, "Oh no..."

Caitlin's elated countenance began to fade. "What's wrong?"

"My surprise..." Cisco mumbled, and then spilled the whole plan to her. The Room of Requirement, the books, the flowers, his speech. By the end of his explanation though, Caitlin was grinning from ear to ear.

"You were going to ask me out too?" She laughed disbelievingly. "I guess they say great minds think alike."

"Yeah, but I've been psyching myself all week for tomorrow, and now...it's pointless." Despite all the anxiety it had been causing him, he was genuinely disappointed that he didn't get to surprise her.

Caitlin, however, was still smiling. "We can still go there y'know. It sounds like a _great_ spot for a first date."

Her smile was contagious, and before he knew it, Cisco was smiling too. "You think so?"

"Absolutely."

Then she leaned in close, and kissed him on the lips.

And it was better than magic.


End file.
